


Arsonist

by RichardGraysonPercyJackson



Category: Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Arsonist, Dick's kinda screwed up, Dissociative Identity Disorder, Fire, I Don't Understand AO3, I'm Sorry, I'm no good with tags fam, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Kinda?, Lazarus Pit, Masochism, Mentions of Death, Resurrection, Self Burning, Unwanted resurrection, but it's all good, might be wrong but IDK, swearing so that's why the rating is as it is
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-21
Updated: 2018-01-21
Packaged: 2019-03-07 12:55:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 16,728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13435170
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RichardGraysonPercyJackson/pseuds/RichardGraysonPercyJackson
Summary: There's a new villain in Bludhaven.A masochistic arsonist known only as Red Wing who gets a little too enthusiastic whenever he comes into contact with a member of the bat clan.What's his tie with Officer Dick Grayson and fascination with burning himself and others for fun?Can Bruce save Dick from playing with fire before the acrobat succumbs to the flames for good?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry the tags are bad. I promise it's better  
> Chapter one is fucked up and confusing but I swear it gets better!!  
> Chapter one has like, three plots.  
> I so sorry!!!

“Do you ever wish I had died instead of you?”

Everyone went silent and turned to stare at Dick who kept his steady gaze on Jason. The “middle son” choked on his water and stared over at his older brother.

“What the  _ hell _ kind of question is that?” he demanded. “Why the hell would you-”

“It’s a simple question, Jay,” Dick said, not at all put off by Jason’s angry demeanor. “Do you wish I had died instead of you?”

Jason opened and closed his mouth for a long time before locking eyes with Dick. “Yes. All the damn time.”

“Jason,” Bruce scolded. 

Dick ignored him and nodded quietly before flashing a smile. “Alright, just wondered.”

“Uh, no,” Jason said, giving a sardonic laugh and kicking Dick under the table. “You don’t get to do that.”

“Do what?” Dick asked innocently and Jason could have sworn the older boy - the first boy wonder - paled slightly

“You don’t get to ask such a morbid question then go back to dinner. You’re going to explain why you asked.”

Dick only shrugged, picking at his food with his fork. “I don’t know. Just trying to make conversation I guess.”

“Grayson, you  _ killed  _ the conversation,” Damien spat from his spot on Bruce’s left. 

Dick was quiet for a long time before speaking in a soft voice. “I’m dying.”

No one said a word until Tim - who was on Dick’s right - gave a weak laugh. “That...that’s not funny Dick.”

“I’m not joking,” Dick said, refusing to meet anyone’s eyes. “I’ve got about...three months left? Maybe?”

 

_ Do you ever wish I had died? _

_ Yes. All the time. _

 

The scene spun and changed so quickly that Jason felt himself becoming dizzy and disoriented. Only when he looked around and found himself in the warehouse he had been killed in did he realize it was all a dream.

Except he wasn’t the one being killed.

He watched, frozen, as the joker mercilessly beat Dick. to the side, the Robin-Jason stood off to the side and watched, a dark, murderous look on his face.

Jason watched as his younger self held up a trigger and pulled it, killing Dick in one fell explosion.

Jason woke with a scream lodged in his throat, arms flailing as he prepared to take down anyone within range.

He was alone.

He leaned forward, sheet pooling around his waist as he heaved for air, skin glistening with sweat.

“It was a dream,” he whispered, barely able to catch his breath. “It...it was just a-”

He launched himself out of bed and was unprepared to catch himself. His sheets tangled around his legs and sent him crashing to the floor of his safe house. He groaned in pain, slowly picking himself up and freeing his legs from their entanglement before jamming on a probably dirty pair of jeans and a white t-shirt that he’d found on the floor.

He snagged his brown leather jacket and domino mask from his bedside table, making sure to at least have his escrima sticks - the only “Robin” weapon he still used - as he slipped his comm into his air.

“Come on, come on,” he chanted, waiting for it to connect to Dick.

“ _ Nightwing _ .”

“Red Hood,” Jason said hotly, slapping his domino mask on and quickly but quietly leaving his safe house. “Top of Wayne Industries. Fifteen minutes.”

“ _ Hood, I just got back _ -”

“I don’t give a damn,” Jason spat. “Fifteen minutes or I come to you.”

Dick sighed and Jason could hear murmuring in the background before his older brother responded.

“ _ Fifteen minutes. I’ll be there _ .”

“Good. Make sure you’re not tailed.”

Before Dick could ask what he’d meant by that, Jason ended to communication. Jason closed his eyes to force his erratic heartbeat to calm before he grappled to a rooftop and made his way towards Wayne Industries.

“You’re late,” he pointed out as Nightwing finally landed in front of him thirty minutes after their designated meeting time. “And you brought vermin.”

Nightwing placed a hand on Red Robin’s shoulder in warning. “I had to bust up a drug ring, Hood. I needed backup. And it’s not like I could just send the kid home on his own. Now what did you want?”

Red Hood scoffed before stepping forward and grabbing Nightwing’s left wrist in a firm but gentle grip. The older boy stiffened slighlty and pulled away when Jason tried to roll his sleeve up.

“What’s this about, Jay?” he asked, holding his wrist away and ignoring the suspicious glance Red Robin sent him. “Is this a social call? Where’s your hood?”

Jason swore. In his desperate attempt to assure himself that his brother was alive, he’d completely neglected his red hood.

“You’re alive,” he said simply. “That’s all I was checking for.”

“Did you want to check my pulse?” Nightwing asked, stepping forward and holding out his right wrist, Red Hood noted. “To make sure I was-”

“Don’t be stupid,” Red Hood spat. “Of course not.”

Nightwing was quiet before slightly turning so that he faced Red Robin. “R, head back, okay? Red Hood and I need to talk alone.”

“But-”

“Now,” Nightwing said, voice leaving no room for argument. Red Robin huffed before turning and making his way towards the edge of the roof. Before he grappled away, he called over his shoulder,

“You’re turning into Batman.”

Nightwing stared at the rooftop below his feet for a long time until he heard Red Robin leave. As soon as he was sure the younger was out of earshot, he looked back up at Red Hood.

“Do you want to talk here?”

“Where else would we talk?” Red Hood asked, relaxing slightly now that Red Robin was gone. The blue clad vigilante shrugged and the two were quiet.

“I mean, we could go to your safe house?”

“Why not your apartment in Bludhaven?” Jason asked. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Dick, but he didn’t trust that Batman had trackers on the older male. Nightwing shook his head and Jason could have sworn he paled.

“It got...I don’t live there anymore. I’ve been...uh...living at the manor for awhile.”

Jason huffed and scuffed his boots against the roof. Now that he could see Nightwing was alive, he wasn’t quite sure what else to do. Should he tell Dick about his dream? No. The acrobat already had a lot on his plate and Jason had a feeling things weren’t going well between the last of the Grayson family and the near last of the Wayne’s.

“I see,” Jason mumbled. The two stood together in awkward silence until Nightwing’s comm chirped, indicating someone was wanting his attention. Jason glared at the ground and crossed his arms over his chest, expecting the older bird to answer and leave him in the dust.

And so he was utterly surprised when Nightwing removed his comm and dropped it to the ground, crushing it beneath his heel. 

“Whatever he wants, it can wait,” Nightwing said, kicking the chunks of his comm away. “I'm talking to you right now. You need me more than he does.”

Jason looked away, thankful that the dark of the night hid his flushed face. “Dick, you could get into a lot of trouble.”

“You’re more important, little wing,” Nightwing said quietly. “You’re only seventeen, Jason. You’re not even legally an adult yet. I know you forget that and I know Bruce does too.”

Jason dug his nails into his palms, wishing he had remembered to grab his gloves. He had been eleven years old when he had been taken in by Bruce. Thirteen years old when he’d realized that his feeling towards Richard Grayson were more than just “brotherly love”.

“I don’t  _ need _ you,” Jason protested, crossing his arms over his chest and refusing to meet the blue hero’s eyes. “But...I do want to talk to you. In private?”

Nightwing nodded and pulled a small sheet of paper out of his belt, passing it over to Jason who took it warily.

“That’s a safe place,” Nightwing said. “Run back to your safehouse and grab me some clothes to change. I’ll leave my suit - and trackers - in the warehouse and you and I can go to your safehouse to talk.”

“You know you could get in trouble.”

“I don’t care.”

“Replacement knows you’re with me.”

“I don’t  _ care _ .”

Jason debated the pros and cons before finally nodding. “I’ll be there in half an hour.”

“Where’s Nightwing?” Bruce asked Tim without even turning his gaze from the computer monitor.

Tim pulled off his mask ad walked over to gaze up at the Joker’s file. “With Jason.”

Bruce froze at the two words and slowly turned to face Tim. “And you left him without backup?”

“He made me,” Tim said with a shrug.

Bruce pinched the bridge of his nose before grabbing his comm from the desk nearby and trying to connect with Nightwing. All he got was static.

Fighting back panic, Bruce got to his feet and pulled his cowl over his head, walking over towards the batmobile.

“Bruce?” Tim asked, putting his own mask back on and following after the man. “Is everything okay?”

“Jason is unpredictable,” Bruce began as he climbed into the driver’s seat and waited for Tim to join him. “And he’s hated Dick ever since coming back to life. I don’t want to know what he’ll do if he gets a chance to catch Dick off guard.”

“Dick does always let his guard down around Jason,” Tim mused quietly. “He trusts him.”

“And Jason knows that,” Bruce sighed. “And he’ll be more than willing to take advantage of that.”

“You don’t really think he’d hurt Dick, do you?”

Bruce was quiet for a long time before speaking in a low voice. “Jason would do anything to get back at me for failing to save him from the Joker.”

“This is a nice place, Jay,” Dick acknowledged as he followed Jason into the younger male’s small safehouse. Jason scoffed and tossed his leather jacket to the floor, collapsing onto the couch. 

“No need to lie, Dickie.”

Dick’s expression dropped for a moment before he walked over and sat next to his brother.

“What did you want to talk to me about?”

Jason let out a slow breath and leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees. He watched the ground for a long time before finally speaking.

“Are you dying?”

Dick stared at his brother for awhile. He wanted to laugh, but he had a feeling this was a fairly serious question, so he held his tongue.

“No,” he answered. “I mean, not that I’m aware of. Why?”

“When was the last time the Joker tortured you?”

Dick knew there was a point to these questions although he had no idea how the two of them connected. After a long moment of silence, he cleared his throat and spoke softly.

“I-I don’t know. Why?”

Jason took a shuddering breath and leaned back on the couch, refusing to meet Dick’s eyes as he answered.

“It’s stupid. I just...had a nightmare. That the Joker killed you and all I did was watch. No... _ I  _ killed you after watching him torture you.”

Jason knew Dick was a very touchy-feely person so he wasn’t at all surprised when the older boy drew him into a hug. He was, however, surprised when he felt Dick trembling slightly.

“I’m sorry, Jay,” Dick whispered and Jason wondered if the first was going to cry. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there to protect you. I’m sorry I didn’t go after you. I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you. If I hadn’t been so  _ pissed _ at Bruce, you wouldn’t have-”

“Golden boy, it’s not your fault,” Jason whispered, wrapping his arms around Dick’s back and hating how much the older boy was shaking. Dick had never reacted like this before and Jason had no idea what had set him off so much…

Until he remembered the date. His death had hurt Dick more than anyone else for more than one reason. Jason had died a week after the anniversery of Dick’s parents death.

And it was currently in that period between the two anniversaries. It was then that Jason realized he didn’t want to send Dick back to Gotham alone. 

“It is,” Dick whispered, trembling increasing and breathing becoming erratic. “Because I wasn’t there.”

“Golden boy,” Jason said softly. “Relax, okay? You’re going to hyperventilate.”

Dick took a violent shuddering breath but it only seemed to make his breathing worse. Sighing quietly, Jason pulled away, trying to ignore how Dick whined at the loss of contact.

“Easy, Dick,” Jason said, removing his shirt and placing Dick’s hand on his bare chest. “Can you breathe with me? Come on. In and out. You can do it, nice and slow.”

Jason vaguely remembered Bruce doing this with Dick after the older boy woke screaming from nightmares, though the now named Red Hood couldn’t actually remember if it ever had any effect.

After a long time, Dick finally regained the ability to breath normally and he slumped forward on Jason. The young boy had to close his eyes and breath normally so that Dick wouldn’t feel how erratic his heartbeat was. Thankfully, the older boy seemed to be too out of it to really focus on anything.

Jason gazed down at the person he had fallen in love with before carefully carding his fingers through thick black hair. Dick’s breathing hitched slightly but he didn’t move much. Jason had a feeling his small panic attack had worn him out and that was the only reason Dick wasn’t reacting as he normally would.

After a time in silence Jason carefully readjusted Dick so that Jason lay on his back with Dick between his legs on his (Dick’s) stomach, the acrobat’s head on Jason’s chest and left arm hanging over the edge of the couch.

Jason sighed and leaned his head back, wishing he had thought to turn the lights off before getting himself into this position. But it was comfortable, despite the weight Dick was putting on Jason’s dick. Still, it felt nice and Jason found himself falling asleep while carding his fingers through Dick’s hair.

“He’s not here,” Red Robin declared, walking over to Batman and handing the older man Nightwing’s crumpled uniform. “But he was.”

Batman sighed and continued to look around. “There’s no sign that Red Hood was ever here though.”

“No,” Red Robin agreed. “But Nightwing isn’t stupid. He wouldn’t just leave his uniform here unless he was sure it was safe. And he most certainly wouldn’t change-”

“The trackers,” Batman said, not even caring that he’d cut the young boy off. “That’s why he took off his uniform. I have a feeling he’s at Red Hood’s safehouse-”

“And that’s why he took his uniform off,” Red Robin guessed, ignoring the glare he got for cutting his mentor off. “So you couldn’t track him. Wait...how do we know he took his uniform off by himself?”

“We don’t,” Batman said with a small sigh. “There’s no blood though, so chances are there were no gunshots.”

“That doesn’t mean anything,” Red Robin huffed, placing his hands on his hips. “Red knows how to use Nightwing’s weapons and skills against him. Do you have any idea where Red’s hideout is?”

“No,” Batman answered shortly, turning and walking back towards where he had parked the batmobile. “But I’ll find Nightwing.”

Jason barely got more than four hours of sleep a night and having his crush laying on his groin certainly didn’t help.

He had fallen asleep around three and was very surprised when he woke around seven in the evening when Dick shifted slightly. Dick’s head was resting on Jason’s stomach and the older boy was still fast asleep.

Yawning and accepting that he probably wasn’t going to get anymore sleep, Jason gently readjusted his position on the couch before returning his fingers to Dick’s hair.

The smaller boy whined quietly and tightened his grip on Jason. At some point in the night, he had managed to wrap his arms around the Red Hood’s waist and Jason definitely wasn’t complaining.

Jason hummed quietly and propped his head up with his free hand, continuing to run his fingers through Dick’s hair.

“I suppose,” he mumbled. “I really should wake you up and get you back to Gotham before Bruce gets too freaked out.”

Dick’s only unconscious response was to bury his face in Jason’s stomach and let out a small breath. Jason bit his tongue, trying to will away the heat heading towards his groin.

“Yeah,” he said quietly to his still sleeping brother. “That’s what I thought. Fuck Bruce, that’s what I say.”

Dick sighed again and Jason couldn’t suppress the shudder than ran through his body. He closed his eyes and let his head drop back against the armrest of the couch behind him.

“Shit. Fuck, Dick,” he whispered. “You’re going to...ugh. Damn. I love you, you know that? But not like you love me. Not...not brotherly. It’s...different. Deeper.”

He sighed and shook his head. “You wouldn’t get it cause you’re straight, you know? Damn, you know I’d never have the courage to say this to you while you’re conscious.”

Dick was sitting up rubbing his eyes by the time Jason walked in about fifteen minutes later. He stretched his arms over his head and yawned.

“Mm...morning Jay.”

Jason chuckled softly and handed Dick a glass of water and some painkillers. “How are you feeling? You had a bit of a panic attack last night, so you’re probably hurting.”

DIck only shrugged. “I’m fine. I’ve had worse. What time is it?”

“About seven in the evening,” Jason answered, letting out a huff and running his hands through his hair, causing his white streak to stick up. “I can’t believe I slept that long.”

Dikc laughed. “No, neither can I.”

The two were silent and Jason was just about to tell Dick to leave until the older boy got up and walked over.

“Hey Jay?” he questioned, getting up close in Jason’s personal space. Before the vigilante turned self proclaimed villain could say anything, Dick was pressing their lips together in a soft, slow kiss.

“Dick-” Jason whispered when the older boy pulled away. 

Dick gave a sad smile. “My feelings towards you are deeper too.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meeting Red Wing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bad summary, but oh well.

* * *

Jason’s eyes flew open and he gagged. 

A dream. Everything had been a dream.

He groaned and ran his hands through his hair, sitting upwards and glaring around his dark room. With a resigned sigh, Jason forced himself out of bed and into his living room-

-where he came face to face with an enraged Damien.

“Morning,” Jason grumbled, walking past the young boy into the kitchen where he was greeted by Tim. “Okay, do I even what to know how you two found this place?”

“Where’s Dick?” Tim asked. “I know he came here with you after meeting on the roof of Wayne Industries last night. We found his uniform and trackers stashed in a warehouse.”

Jason frowned, shaking his head slowly. “Dickhead isn’t here.”

“The more you lie, the more painful this will be for you, Todd,” Damien spat as he stalked into the room. “I have been trained in enhanced interrogation by Deathstroke and so you would be wise to answer honestly. Where is he?”

“Look, I don’t know, okay?” Jason said, giving a cold laugh. “I...wait. You said you found his uniform-”

“We talked on the roof of Wayne Industries, remember?” Tim said, worry filling his words. “You called me vermin and Dick sent me home to talk with you in private-do you not remember any of this?”

Jason shook his head slowly, tangling his hands in his hair and turning away from both boys as he spoke in a whisper, more to himself then them.

“I thought it was a dream. I-”

“Jason,” Tim said calmly. “Tell me everything.”

“You ‘woke up’ right after you gave him painkillers,” Tim confirmed slowly after Jason had recounted the tale, being sure to leave Dick’s final message out of it. It was clear that Tim knew Jason was hiding something but also knew better than to say anything.

Jason was grateful for that.

“I don’t remember falling asleep,” he proclaimed. “One minute I was giving him water and pain pills and we were talking about how neither of us usually sleep very long and then suddenly I wake up. I thought it was a dream.”

“It could be,” Tim mused quietly. “Although that still begs the question of where Dick is. And the chances of a dream concluding that closely with reality is unheard of. Do you mind if we look around?”

“Pretty sure Demonspawn is already doing that,” Jason said, leaning back in the kitchen chair and crossing one leg over another. “So I really did talk to Dick on top of Wayne Industries?”

“As far as I can tell, yeah,” Tim answered. “But...there’s a chance my mind has been altered, similarly to yours.”

“Do you think someone took Grayson?” Damien demanded, suddenly appearing beside Jason and totally  _ not _ scaring the hell out of the Red Hood.

“It would have to be someone who knows he’s Dick and Nightwing,” Tim mused. “Which definitely narrows the results. However, it could also have been someone who was after Nightwing and just finally wanted to know how he was.”

“And lord knows there are hundreds in that category,” Jason grumbled. He pinched the bridge of his nose with a sigh. “What does Bruce think?”

“Nothing yet,” Tim answered. “He sent Damien and I-”

“Damien and  _ me _ ,” Damien cut in although it was half hearted and Tim ignored him anyway.

“To come here and find Dick. But now I’m not sure that Dick’s been here at all.”

“So what’s the plan then?” Jason asked. “Run back to daddybats to tell him his perfect little soldier is missing?”

“There’s not much else we can do, Jay,” Tim said with a shrug. After a few silent moments, he spoke in a soft voice. “Have you noticed if Dick’s been acting a little...off, lately?”

Jason frowned. “Define off?”

“Different,” Tim said as if that clarified anything. “He’s...I don’t know, Jason. Brash in the field. He’s nearly gotten himself killed a few times, jumping in without thinking. He’s getting shot and injured and losing much more blood than he ever has before. He reminds me of you and...and I’m scared he’s going to get killed.”

Jason frowned. “I want to be insulted that you’re implying that I’m different, but this isn’t like golden boy. He’s the  _ golden boy.” _

“I know, Jason,” Tim said, worrying his lip between his teeth. “And I just...he just acts different. And he refuses to patrol if Two-Face is loose but he won’t tell us why and I’m scared and I don’t know what to do!”

“He is keeping secrets from all of us,” Damien said calmly although his voice wavered slightly. “And I fear that those secrets could turn out to be near fatal, either for himself or someone else.”

“So first we find him,” Jason said as he got to his feet and made his way back to his room. “And then we beat the answers out of him.”

“Unless he’s dead,” Tim said quietly as he and Damien left the safe house, leaving Jason to his morbid thoughts and near paralyzing fear for his brother.

“I’m sure he’s not dead, Tim,” Jason assured, even though his brother’s had left. With a resigned sigh, Jason sped back to his bedroom and quickly suited up, deciding to forego his hood and hoping he wouldn’t regret it.

He was barely halfway to Gotham when the building he had just passed by went up in smoke. Rather than move, he simply turned and stared at it.

“What the hell?” he muttered. It was a warehouse. One that should have been empty.

_ “Hood, are you seeing this?”  _ Tim asked through the comm, startling Jason slightly. 

“You mean the warehouse that just went up in smoke? Hell yes, I’m sitting right next to it!” Jason shouted. “What the  _ fuck _ just happened?!”

“ _ There have been rumors of an arsonist calling himself Red Wing who resides in Bludhaven. _ ” Damien’s voice came over the line. “ _ I’d presume this is his work. _ ”

“I see him,” Jason said, looking up to find a thin, lithe figure sprinting over the rooftops. “I’m in pursuit.”

“ _ Negative, Hood _ ,” Tim said. “ _ There’s no point, you won’t catch him _ .”

“Oh yeah?” Jason challenged, climbing off his bike and grappling to the roof, taking off at a run as soon as his feet hit the concrete. “Watch me.”

He heard Tim sigh and knew he heard Damien calling him something along the lines of ‘stupid’, but Jason ignored it in favor of grappling to the roof and running after the figure-

-who abruptly turned to face him, a bright smile on his face.

“Red Hood, right?” he asked with a little too much enthusiasm. He seemed to be jumping in place and only the oxygen mask over his face and mask over his eyes prevented Jason from getting a good like at him. “I’ve always wanted to meet you.”

“Who are you?” Jason demanded, pulling out one of his guns and aiming it at the figure. The arsonist scoffed, not at all put off by the fact he had a gun pointed at his chest.

“Aw come on, don’t be like that.”

He had an accent as slight as it was, but for the life of himself, Jason couldn’t place it and it pissed him off beyond belief. Probably didn’t matter though, because there was always a chance it was fake.

“Who are you?” he demanded again.

The man gave an almost wistful sigh, still practically bouncing in place. “My name is Red Wing. I believe the newspapers are calling me an arsonist, right?”

“You just set a warehouse on fire,” Jason scoffed. “On purpose, right?”

“Of course,” Red Wing said, suddenly dead serious and utterly still. That had Jason tensing and preparing to fire, although he just barely managed to convince himself to keep it a non lethal shot. “They had to die.”

Jason felt himself go pale in horror as he breathed out, “You had hostages.”

“I wouldn’t call them hostages per say,” Red Wing said calmly. “Just a few members of the police department - and a few mob bosses - who had pissed me off. But don’t worry about it, Red Hood. I promise you, they deserved to die.”

“No one deserves to die.”

Red Robin’s voice helped Jason to relax slightly when he heard backup arriving and from the sound of it, Batman had come as well.

Damn, Red Wing was screwed to all hell. Jason couldn’t help but chuckle, though when he noted the elation in Red Wing’s form, the reborn Robin had a feeling they had just played right into his hands.

“You know,” the arsonist mused, never quite standing still. “I’ve heard a lot about you all. I keep track of Gotham news you know since so many there have pissed me off too. I’m actually thinking about taking my work there, seeing how the GCPD handles arson.”

“You won’t be going anywhere, but prison,” Batman said calmly, stepping forward. The slight inclination of Red Wing’s head was the only warning the oldest bat got before a flaming arrow was flying for his head.

Batman just barely jumped out of the way.

“Did you really think I was alone?” Red Wing asked, a cocky tone to his words that were muffled by the oxygen mask. “And besides, by messing with me, you’re playing with fire. Quite literally. So why don’t you kiddies go on back to bed, hm? Let the big boys do their work, okay?”

“How old do you think-”

Red Wing cut Damien off quickly. “You know, I’ve heard a lot about Bruce Wayne. I think after I fuck around with Gotham a little I’ll go out with a bang by burning down the manor, all the Waynes, and myself included.”

That was enough for Batman and he dove forward-

-only for his cape to get trapped against the roof by another flaming arrow.

“Well, it’s been real,” Red Wing said with a loud sigh as he turned and walked over to the edge of the roof. “But it’s been fun! We’ll have to play again sometime.”

No one moved fast enough to catch him before he fell backwards off the ledge.

They never saw him grapple to the roof and when Jason ran to look down at the concrete, the arsonist was nowhere in sight.

“Okay, who the hell was that?” Jason demanded as soon as they got into the batcave a few hours later. They had gotten a frantic call from Dick informing them that the golden boy had heard of the fire and was on his way to the manor. He had calmly explained over the phone that Jason must have been drugged or something, because the Red Hood had been passed out when Dick left.

Jason thought the story had a few holes in it.

“Red Wing,” Tim mused quietly, pulling off his mask as he walked over to where Batman was already creating a file on the arsonist. “That was...interesting.”

Jason scoffed and shook his white bangs out of his eyes. “That kid is insane! You should have seen how fucking excited he was when I followed him.”

“Geeze, Jason, language,” Dick chastised as he walked into the room. “You’re lucky Alfred isn’t down here.”

“Does it matter if he is?” Jason demanded although there wasn’t any real malice in his words. “He’s like, super Bruce! He probably knows already.”

Dick nodded in agreement as he walked over to stand beside Bruce. “Probably. So what’s this?”

“Arsonist from Bludhaven called Red Wing,” Tim supplied from where he stood on Bruce’s other side. “We met him tonight.”

“I know him,” Dick said quietly. “A few of my colleagues had been looking into him for weeks. Apparently he started with small fires. You know, bushes and small plants. But then he got bored and told the police it wasn’t fun anymore and that’s when he started going for buildings.”

“And people,” Jason muttered, hoping Dick wouldn’t hear him. The twenty-three year old turned and looked at Jason with confusion and a hint of worry.

“What do you mean, and people?” the Bludhaven cop demanded, moving towards his brother. “What did he do?”

Jason sighed. He didn’t really want to tell Dick that the arsonist had probably killed a few BPD cops, but he knew Dick was going to find out sooner or later.

Damien beat him to it.

“Red Wing had taken a few members of the BPD as well as some mob bosses hostage. They were in the warehouse he just burned down a few moments ago.”

Dick paled and Jason wondered if maybe these cops had been his friends. Although from what the rogue Robin had heard, Dick was the only good cop in the whole of the BPD.

“And none of you stopped to make sure there were no survivors?” Dick asked quietly. “None of you went back and checked?”

“Red Wing and his archer friend attacked us,” Jason said. “We didn’t have any time, we were trying to stop him from getting away.”

“And what about after that?!” Dick screamed, causing the bats in the cave to flutter in annoyance. “What about after he got away!? What the  _ hell  _ did you do then?!”

“Dick, he used gasoline to start the fire,” Bruce explained calmly, walking over and placing a hand on his eldest’s shoulder in order to calm him down. Dick only brushed him off. “It spread too quickly. He was thorough. He didn’t want anyone having any chance of-”

“Bullshit,” Dick whispered, shaking his head and storming towards the elevator that lead to the manor. “You’re just making excuses.”

Jason waited until Dick was gone to turn back to Bruce. “He’s right, Bruce. We kind of are. And we have no idea if Red Wing used gasoline or not. We had time to check. We just didn’t.”

Bruce sighed although he knew his wayward son was right. Shaking his head, he looked back in the direction Dick had stormed off.

“Someone should check in on him. See if he can better explain what happened to make Jason think last night was a dream.”

“I’ll do it,” Jason and Tim offered at the same time, though Jason was quick to shake his head. “You do it Replacement. I need a smoke.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise, the next chapter is better. Or at least, I think it is.  
> Please comment and let me know what you think!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dick is questioned and Tim meets Red Wing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bad summary as always, but oh well.  
> Also, to anyone who thinks you know who Red Wing is, there's a high chance you're right because I just suck at subtlety. You feel me?

 

“Hey Dick?” Tim said as he walked into the kitchen to find his brother holding a cup of coffee between his hands. “Um...Bruce wanted me to talk to you about last night.”

Dick winced. “Yeah. I guess I should apologize for bailing on Jason.”

Tim nodded. “Could you explain to me why you told him you’ve been living here? We haven’t seen you here in months except for when you patrol with us.”

Dick only shrugged. “My apartment isn’t guest friendly at the moment. Jason would have continued to pester me until I agreed to meet him there so I kinda lied.”

“I see,” Tim mumbled. “And...could you explain why Jason was talking to you one moment and suddenly waking up in bed the next?”

Dick sighed and ran his hand over his face, chuckling quietly. “I uh...used a small dart. Knocked him out. He needed sleep and I needed to leave.”

“You could have left a message for him, Dick,” Tim said sadly. “We thought you were hurt or dead.”

“Well, I’m fine,” Dick said, giving his brother a smile that Tim couldn’t tell if it was real or fake. Either way, it was convincing. “I promise. And I’m sorry for the scare.”

Tim nodded. “It’s alright. You got Damien showing some emotion though, that takes real skill. Although I have a feeling he’s going to be pretty ticked off when he finds out.”

“Yeah, I know,” Dick muttered, shaking his hair out of his eyes. Tim frowned slightly when he noticed a small burn on the side of Dick’s arm although he chose to ignore it. Dick worked for the BPD and they had been fighting to deal with Red Wing and his fire’s. Chances were that’s where Dick got it from.

So why did the burn look self induced?

Shaking his thoughts to the back of his mind for future reference, Tim cleared his throat although the kitchen remained silent seeing as none of them had anything to say.

“I’m not technically your brother,” Dick said quietly.

Tim couldn’t help but snort at the statement. “Really? I could have sworn your parents were Jack and Janet Drake.”

Dick didn’t laugh and Tim immediately realized there was weight to his brother's statement and so he forced himself to shut up as he waited for Dick to speak.

“Bruce never technically adopted me,” Dick said quietly. “I remember when he adopted Jason though. I was pissed. It got even worse when he let Jason be Robin. When he  _ replaced  _ me. So...I get where Jason’s coming from in his hatred with you.”

“I never knew,” Tim said quietly. “Bruce never told me.”

“Of course not,” Dick said with a sardonic laugh. “Why would he?”

Tim lowered his gaze. “I’m sorry.”

Dick shook his head, leaning back in his seat to better analyze his brother. “Don’t apologize Timmy, because it isn’t your fault.”

Tim bit his lip, unsure of what to say. The moments ticked on in silence until Bruce walked in and dropped a file in front of Dick.

“Everything we have on Red Wing,” he declared. “Find out what you can from the BPD. Get any files you can-”

“We don’t have any,” Dick said with a shrug as he casually flipped through Bruce’s sorely lacking profile. “They burned. Not the precinct. Nothing else. Just the files we had on Red Wing. Anytime we come up with new files, we find them in ashes the next day but nothing else is touched.”

“That means he doesn't care that the police are onto him,” Tim mused. “But he must care somewhat if he’s taking time to contain a fire long enough to burn his files.”

Dick nodded. “My old partner - Lawrence - was actually taken by Red Wing. Lawrence somehow managed to escape although he was found burned to death in an alley a few days later. But that's besides the point. What I’m trying to say is that Lawrence gave us some...fairly disturbing news before he was found dead.”

“Which is?” Bruce asked.

Dick chuckled. “Apparently Red Wing is a masochist. He burns himself for fun.”

“That’s horrible,” Tim breathed, eyes flicking down to Dick’s burn before he instantly forced the idea out of his head. Dick wasn’t a masochist and therefore Dick wasn’t Red Wing. And even if he was - which he wasn’t - there was no way Dick would be giving them so much information.

Then again...there was technically no evidence.

Tim forced the idea out of his head as hard as he could.

“Because he gets bored,” Bruce guessed. “Many psychopaths turn to some form of self harm simply out of boredom.”

“And Red Wing certainly isn’t causing a very big fuss,” Tim added in. “Although after tonight, I feel as if we may be seeing him a bit more often.”

“Keep me posted,” Dick requested as he stood. “And I’ll see what the BPD knows.”

Tim met Red Wing next. 

He was on his own in Bludhaven, making his way back to Gotham from Dick’s apartment.

He chose the roof route as Red Robin to make his way back to Gotham and found himself at the border between the two cities when he had the unnerving feeling of something being wrong.

He radioed into Oracle to inform her of what he was doing before he crept to a nearby warehouse and dropped through the skylight onto the rafters, nearly gagging at the too strong smell of gasoline.

He quickly pulled out his oxygen mask and strapped it over his face, breathing in the filtered air as he snuck along the rafters, gazing down for any sign of life.

That’s when he spotted Red Wing stalking across the floor backwards, pouring a full gallon of gasoline across the floor.

“What is he doing?” Red Robin whispered, moving to a better vantage point.

He froze when he saw the three Gotham police officers restrained to chairs, gagged and soaked in what was most likely gasoline. Cursing quietly, he tapped on his comm.

“Oracle? We’ve got a problem.”

_ “What is it?” _

“I found Red Wing. Warehouse 49 on the border of Gotham and Bludhaven. He’s got three GCPD cops hostage and is coating the floor in gasoline and I think the cops are covered in it as well. He’s going to light them up.”

_ “Understood. Red Hood and Batman are on their way.” _

Red Robin frowned.  _ “ _ Bludhaven isn’t Bats territory _.” _

_ “Then you  _ don’t _ need all the help you can get to control this arsonist?” _

Red Robin sighed. “Thanks Oracle.”

“ _ Anytime, baby bird _ .”

“Now that you’re done with your call, are you going to join us?”

Red Robin flinched and looked down to find Red Wing staring right at him. Knowing that the only hope these cops had was if he went along with whatever the arsonist wanted, Red Robin dropped to the ground, careful not to touch the gasoline coated floor with his hands.

Red Wing clapped his hands together, clear elation shining on his face. An oxygen mask hung around his neck and Red Robin wondered how he wasn’t getting light headed with the fumes.

Then he wondered if Red Wing stayed in the warehouse as it burned and the oxygen mask was to prevent smoke inhalation. Shaking his head, Red Robin couldn’t help but compare Red Wing to a child at christmas.

Or, rather, Dick at Christmas.

He shook that thought away instantly, although the burn on Dick’s arm came back to mind. As well as the fact that Red Wing was a masochist.

“So where are the others?” Red Wing asked, grinning brightly. “Or is it just you?”

“Just me,” Red Robin answered, carefully removing his oxygen mask and trying not to gag at the strong smell of gasoline. How Red Wing could stand it, he could never understand. “Why? Am I not good enough?”

Red Wing only shrugged, not paying any attention to the hostages anymore. In fact, it almost seemed as if he had forgotten about them entirely.

“It’s not that,” he answered. “I really liked Red Hood.”

“I see,” Red Robin mused. “So...what are you doing?”

Red Wing’s face lit up and he clapped his hand again. “I’m going to light this place up! It’ll burn so bright you’ll be able to see it from Gotham!”

“And...why are the police here?”

“Oh,” Red Wing said, his voice and body taking on a rather dark tone and expression. “Them.”

“Yeah,” Red Robin said slowly. “Is there any particular-”

“They were in my way,” Red Wing snarled. “They need to die.”

“Ah,” Red Robin winced. “Yeah. Right. Listen, uh, maybe we can-”

Red Wing shook his head and pulled the oxygen mask over his face. “You should get out, Red Robin. I don’t have a problem with you. But I will if you stay here.”

Red Robin bit his lip and sent a discreet look towards the cops. He had definitely made an error in mentioning them to Red Wing. It was clear that the man was unstable.

“No, come on,” Red Robin said quickly. “I didn’t mean to upset you. I was just wondering. We were just talking, okay? Can we go back to that? Just casual talking?”

Red Wing remained quiet as he thought it over before slowly pulling his oxygen mask off his face to hang around his neck again.

“How much as Batman gathered on me?”

“Nothing,” Red Robin admitted with a shrug. “We know you’re an arsonist but that’s about it. However, I have a feeling you're close to a genius. Right?”

“Are you going to tell Batman?”

“Does it matter?”

Red Wing shrugged, toying with the strap of the oxygen mask around his neck. “Guess not. Does he know I’m a masochist?”

“Yeah-”

“Who told him?” Red Wing demanded. “I know it wasn’t the cop, but the cop got away from me for a bit. So he clearly told someone and that someone told Batman. Who?”

“Are you going to kill them if I tell you?”

“It depends on the person,” Red Wing said calmly. After a beat, he spoke again. “Was it Richard Grayson?”

Red Robin’s silene was all the arsonist needed. “Officer Grayson is one of the cleanest cops on the BPD force. But if he told, he needs to be taught a lesson. I’m already threatening him and in return, he keeps me up to date on what the police know. I suppose I’ll need to speak with him tonight.”

“Officer Grayson was doing his job,” Red Robin said, hating how angry he sounded. By defending Dick, he knew he was risking their identities, but he didn’t care. “He doesn't have to listen to you, but to keep his job-”

“Then maybe I should stop threatening him and start threatening his family,” Red Wing snarled as he pulled his oxygen mask back over his face.

Red Robin shook his head, pulling out his bo staff and backing away. “You’re insane.”

“I am, yes,” Red Wing agreed as he pulled the oxygen mask over his face and pulled a box and match from a pocket on his black utility belt. “Now make your choice, birdy. Are you going to burn with the cops or leave?”

A gunshot filled the warehouse and Red Wing went down with a scream, clutching his bicep that the bullet had hit as he collapsed to the ground. Red Robin only stared at him in shock, having trouble wrapping his mind around the fact that Red Hood hadn’t killed the arsonist.

“Red Robin,” Batman said gruffly as he stalked over Red Wing who was getting to his feet. “Get the hostages out of here. Red Hood and I can handle Red Wing.”

“This place is rigged with explosives!” Red Wing screamed through his oxygen mask. “All I have to do is give my partner the word and he’ll blow this place sky high!”

“I don’t think you have a partner,” Batman said as he stalked towards the killer, slowly cornering the man. “I think-”

“Do you really want to test that?” Red Wing snarled. “Let me go now or Richard Grayson will suffer the consequences.”

At that statement, Batman launched himself at Red Wing, but the arsonist was faster, vaulting over the bat and using a grappling hook to pull himself into the rafters. Red Robin had just gotten the officer’s untied and out when the warehouse caught fire.

Eyes wide, Red Robin looked up to the rafters, watching the wood easily light from where Red Wing had struck a match.

“Shit,” Red Hood swore. He ran over to Red Robin and grabbed the stunned boy by the arm, dragging him out of the warehouse that was quickly catching fire as Batman gave chase after the killer. “Time to go.”

“Dick,” Red Robin shouted as soon as they were far enough away from the burning warehouse. “He...he’s threatening Dick. Dick gives him information or Red Wing burns him! Jason, he’s going to kill Dick!”

“Bats will get him first,” Jason said, all too calm. “Come on, Tim. Let’s go-”

“No!” Tim shouted, ripping off his mask and staring up at Jason in fear. “No! We-we have to get to Dick! Please Jason!”

Jason stared at him before finally sighing and nodding. “Fine. Fine, we’ll check on Dick. Come on.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed!  
> Please comment and let me know what you think!!!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tim and Jason rush to Dick's apartment, only to discover that Red Wing beat them there.  
> But Tim is more than a little skeptical, so he calls Dick to the manor where Bruce declares the burns to be self inflicted.  
> After being strip searched by Jason and Alfred and waiting for Bruce to return from patrol, Dick confesses to his father figure when he knows there's no witnesses but Bruce.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long summary, sorry.  
> Also, I was gonna say something else...but I forgot

* * *

 

“Dick?” Tim called quietly as he pushed his brother’s window open, not liking the fact that it was already slightly ajar. “Are you here?”

“Quiet,” Jason hissed, following after the third Robin. “We don’t know if Red Wing is still here and we most certainly don’t want to risk what he’ll do to golden boy if he knows we’re here. And on top of that, do you really want him putting two and two together and figuring out-”

“Jay? Tim?”

The two heroes turned simultaneously to find Dick walking in from the direction of his bedroom.

Tim felt his heart sink when he saw the gauze around his brother’s arm and the bag of ice Dick was holding over his forearm.

They were too late.

“Dick, are you okay?” Tim asked, walking over to his oldest brother as Jason closed the window and curtain before checking around the apartment to ensure Red Wing hadn’t somehow remained within, waiting to strike.

“Fine, Timmy,” Dick said quietly, though it was weak. “I just-”

“Red Wing burned you, didn’t he?” Jason asked as he walked back into the living room, sliding his gun into the waistband of his pants. “Where is he?”

“Gone,” Dick answered with a shrug as he sat next to Tim on the couch and allowed the younger boy to unwrap his arm in order to look over the burn. “Just before you two got here. What happened?”

“He tried to burn three Gotham City police officers to death tonight,” Jason answered. “We stepped in the way and he was less than happy.”

Dick nodded. “I could tell. He was...he’s insane, but a genius.”

“Any idea how he lost his mind?”

Dick shook his head. “We don’t...I don’t know that much about him except that he became drawn towards fire when he was fifteen. Although he didn’t become an arsonist until a few months ago.”

“When he started burning bushes before progressing to buildings and people,” Jason concluded, groaning loudly. “Asshole.”

“Jay,” Dick said quietly, grabbing his brother by his leather jacket, fear in his blue eyes. “Don’t say that. He may be insane, yes, but like I said he’s a genius. He has the apartment bugged, I know it!”

Jason swore under his breath, shoving away from Dick. “Why the fuck didn’t you say anything earlier?”

“You need to get to of here,” Dick said, standing and pushing Tim and Jason towards the window. “I told you too much, he might come back.”

“Dick, we’re not leaving you here,” Tim said, twisting out from under his brother’s hand and staring at Dick in horror. “We can’t just let him keep doing this to you.”

“He’s threatening all of you!” Dick shouted, panic causing his voice to raise in pitch. “He’ll  _ kill  _ you if he finds you here, he told me! He won’t go after you until I give him a damn good reason to, but if you cross his path here, he won’t hesitate to burn you to the ground.”

Jason and Tim shared glances, frowning slightly. While Dick seemed insistent on protecting them, Tim felt as though there was just something off about it.

But Batman had been after Red Wing and if Dick had been Red Wing, there was no way he could have thrown Bruce, made it back to his apartment, burned himself, and wrapped gauze over the burn before Jason and Tim made it.

Then again...with gauze over his arm, there was no visible evidence as to whether or not Red Wing had burned Dick at all.

“Okay,” Tim finally said quietly. “Okay. But...do you mind stopping by the manor tomorrow? Just so Bruce can check you over?”

Dick groaned. “Fine, yes, Tim, but I’m fine, okay? I promise.”

Tim didn’t believe him but he nodded anyway. As soon as he and Jason were back on the roof, making their way to Gotham, Jason spoke.

“What was that about?”

Tim was thinking quietly for a short period of time before he finally decided to answer.

“I don’t want to suggest this,” he said slowly. “But I think Dick might be Red Wing.”

Tim didn’t even know Jason had stopped until he jumped to the other roof and didn’t hear Jason land beside him. Frowning, Tim turned to find Jason frozen on the previous rooftop. Sighing, Jason walked over and joined Tim on the foot.

“You think the golden child is Red Wing?”

“Well...I don’t know,” Tim muttered, placing his hands on his hips. “I just...Red Wing burns himself for fun. Red Wing burns Dick. But the burns on Dick’s arms look self induced.”

“That’s why you told him to come over to the manor tomorrow,” Jason guessed. “So Batman can interrogate him?”

“Yeah,” Tim answered, nodding. “I just hope Dick doesn’t get suspicious. Because if he  _ is  _ Red Wing, it’s not going to end well.”

“I guess we’ll have to tell Bruce your suspicious,” Jason muttered. “Demon spawn isn’t going to be happy.”

“No, he isn’t,” Tim muttered. “Jason...what do we do if Dick  _ is  _ Red Wing?”

Jason sighed and ran a hand through his head. “Honestly, Replacement, I think the only thing we can do is arrest him. Arson is a felony.”

“But if Dick really is Red Wing,” Tim whispered. “He’s not going to go quietly.”

“No, he’s not,” Jason agreed. “But he’s a vill-”

“I don’t want to talk about this anymore,” Tim said quietly. “Let’s go.”

**The next evening before patrol**

“Bruce, I keep telling you it’s fine,” Dick insisted as Bruce forced him to roll his sleeves up so the Batman could look over the burns.

“Master Richard, an arsonist is burning you when you don’t give him what he wants,” Alfred declared, appalled from where he stood behind Bruce. “It most certainly is  _ not  _ fine.”

“Yeah, you tell him Alfred,” Jason muttered from where he sat in a corner, attention on his phone.

It was Damien who realized Bruce hadn’t said a word. “Father? What is it?”

Everyone turned their gaze to Bruce as the man slowly lifted his gaze to make eye contact with Dick. The younger boy stared him down, an emotion that Bruce couldn’t name swimming in his cerulean blue eyes.

“What is it, Bruce?” Dick asked, somehow making his voice honestly sound fearful.

But Bruce had seen. Before anyone could react, he pulled out a pair of handcuffs and quickly cuffed Dick’s right wrist to the side of the medical bed he was seated on.

“Those burns,” Bruce said calmly, forcing himself to only look at Dick. “Are self inflicted.”

Dick shook his head, morphing his face into one of shock. “Bruce, what are you talking about?”

“Richard Grayson,” Bruce said, slipping into his Batman voice. “I need you to be completely and utterly honest with me.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever been completely honest with anyone in my life since coming to live with you,” Dick muttered. “But continue.”

Bruce saw red before forcing his anger down. This was his son. “Are you Red Wing?”

Silence fell in the Batcave.

Dick blinked slowly but didn’t answer.

“Richard,” Bruce growled. “Answer me.”

Dick dropped his gaze to his lap, letting his hair hang in front of his eyes as he answered in a soft voice that everyone had to strain to hear.

“Does it matter if I tell the truth? You obviously think I’m Red Wing and once you have your mind set on something, once you want something to be true, not even hard facts and evidence can stop you.”

The silence reigned again until Jason spoke in a low tone. “He’s got a point.”

“If you’re not Red Wing,” Bruce said quietly, obviously trying to prove his son wrong. “Then why are these burns self inflicted?”

“They’re not,” Dick said and Bruce felt that small spark in his stomach, insisting that Dick was lying to his face. That Dick was Red Wing.

That Dick couldn’t look him in the eyes and tell him the truth and that’s why the oldest was watching his lap.

“They’re not,” Bruce repeated. “Explain.”

Dick nodded. “Red Wing knows you’re Batman. He made them look self inflicted so we’d end up in this situation.”

“Does no one find this odd?” Damien demanded, gesturing angrily at Dick. “That both Grayson  _ and  _ Red Wing know father is Batman?”

Bruce sighed, closing his eyes tightly before straightening to his full height to stare down at his eldest son.

“Dick. I need you to look me in the eyes and tell me you’re not Red Wing.”

Dick lifted his head quickly, staring at Bruce with a mix of shock and pure rage. “What?! Why?! Why can’t you just believe me!?”

Bruce forced himself to relax, taking a small step back and crossing his arms over his chest.

“Because you can’t look me in the eyes and lie to me. You’ve never been able to.”

By this point, the two had the rapt attention of the rest of the family. Jason had gotten to his feet, checking his magazine to ensure none of the bullets were lethal. Thankfully, they were only tranq darts. Still, the idea of hitting Dick with them was...sickening.

Even Tim and Damien had stepped in front of Alfred, preparing for a fight.

Dick had lost and he knew it. Didn’t mean he couldn’t keep trying. He swallowed thickly, brushing one foot against his left ankle. Ten seconds. All he needed was ten seconds for Arsenal to set a warehouse on fire then call the cops and tell them he’d seen Red Wing fleeing the scene.

Then all Roy had to do was disguise himself and act as the witness. Because if Batman showed up and found Roy Harper as the witness, Dick would be exposed.

Dick couldn’t remember if it was himself or Roy who’d started the fascination with fire, but either way both boys were arsonists now.

Dick licked his lips, playing the innocent show and counting down in his head. “Okay. I...I’m not-”

The alarm blared and if the bat family hadn’t been so close, Dick would have sighed in relief.

“What is it?” Damien asked, dropping his active stance to watch Tim sprint over to the computer.

“We’ve got a witness at Gotham Harber,” Tim explained. “Says he just saw Red Wing fleeing out of a burning warehouse.”

Everyone shared glances before slowly turning towards Dick. After a few moments of silence, Bruce snapped into action.

“Jason, you stay here with Alfred. Give Dick a strip search, see if there was any way he could have triggered that from here. Tim, Damien, you’re with me.”

The two sprinted to change, but Dick’s angry voice froze them. “You proved me right, by the way.”

He offered no more explanation, but none of them needed it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment and let me know what you think!!!  
> Thanks!!!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jason reports the results of the strip search.
> 
> Dick confesses to a member of the family.

_ “We strip searched him.” _

“And?”

_ “Firstly, Dick wears Superman underwear. Secondly, there was nothing on him. I mean, he had a small Comm. hidden in his shoe, but that’s used for communication. So there’s no way that could have set the fire. Don’t tell B though.” _

“So Dick’s innocent?”

_ “According to Alfred, himself, and the strip search, yeah.” _

“He must be pretty pissed,” Tim muttered. “Is he still there? Batman wants him to stay under supervision.”

_ “Oh yeah,” _ Jason said, laughing.  _ “He’s still here and...let’s just say he’s going to tear Bats a new one.” _

Tim grinned. “I’ll pass the message along. Anything I else I should know?”

Jason grinned. _“Bats..._ civilian side _is gonna need some new carpet.”_

Tim sighed. “What did you do?”

Jason shrugged even though Tim couldn’t see it.  _ “Fist fight on carpet. Agent A is pissed.” _

“Figures,” Tim grumbled, rolling his eyes. “Who started it?”

_ “Would you believe me if I told you the Golden Child did?” _

Tim snorted. “No.”

Jason shrugged again.  _ “He did.” _

For whatever silly reason, Tim believed him. “We’ll be home soon enough but...I think Bats is waiting for the all clear from Agent A before heading back.”

_ “All clear?”  _ Jason parroted. 

“D’s waiting in the cave to chew Bats out, isn’t he?”

Jason gave a low whistle, laughing. “Ah. The ‘all clear’. Oh yeah, Dickhead’s not moving for a  _ long  _ time. He can wait you guys out and you know it.”

Tim sighed quietly, glancing over when when Batman and Robin neared him. “Alright. I’ll pass it on to B. The sooner we get back, the sooner the screaming match starts, the sooner it ends.”

_ “Couldn’t agree more, kid,” _ Jason muttered, his voice making it sound like he had his mouth full. He probably did, because Tim swore he could hear Alfred having an aneurysm in the background.

Ending the conversation, Tim - now back to Red Robin mode - turned to Bruce. “Strip searched found nothing. According to A, Dick, and the search, Dick’s innocent.”

Damien clicked his tongue, but he was secretly thankful. He may have once been a killer, but Dick didn’t have the stomach for it. The man had told Damien as such.

Batman frowned. It was obvious Red Robin was hiding something, because he was shifting his weight as he talked. It was his tell, just as Dick’s inability to meet someone’s gaze as he lied was a tell. Jason became far too calm when he lied, even if a moment before, he’d been an emotional wreck.

Damien...Bruce hadn’t discovered Damien’s tell yet. He wasn’t sure how to feel about that.

“Anything else?”

Red Robin shrugged. “Jay and Dick fought. There was blood. You need new carpet. Oh! And Dick’s waiting for us in the cave. Or rather, you.”

Batman sighed internally. “We’ll continue with patrol-”

“Father, it’s  _ pointless  _ to wait him out,” Robin declared. “You know as well as I do that Grayson is fully capable of waiting in that cave until we return.”

Batman knew that. And he hated that. So in response, he simply growled, “no names in the field”, before making his way towards where the batmobile was parked.

He was dreading the arrival to the cave. But maybe, just maybe, Dick wouldn’t be there.

 

 

He was there and he was pissed. There was some dried blood in the corner of his mouth along with a blackening eye.

Fist fight with Jason then. A violent one.

“Grayson,” Damien said curtly as he got out of the car and approached his brother. “I trust your anger is with father and no one else?”

Dick nodded, continuing to glare at Bruce. “No one else.” he confirmed.

“Then you will not mind if I retire to my bedroom,” Damien said. Bruce frowned. Damien never asked for anyone’s permission to do anything. Dick seemed to sense this because he finally looked over at his brother.

“Why are you asking?” he grinned. “Want to watch?”

Damien hesitated before giving a short nod. “That would be rather humorous to witness. And I do not believe I’ve been privy to one of you and father’s infamous altercations that I have heard stories of.”

Dick chuckled quietly, gesturing towards the shower with his head as his arms remained crossed over his chest.

“Get changed,” he ordered. “Then the fight starts.”

Bruce waited until Damien left to speak. “Dick-”

“You really think I’m capable of murder, Bruce?” Dick asked, making it clear that he had no intention of waiting for Damien. “Really? Who do you think I am, Jason?”

“I know you’re not-”

“What if I  _ am _ Red Wing?” Dick demanded. “What then?”

He was calm. Too calm. Like the calm before the storm. Bruce didn’t like this. Dick’s body was too tense making it clear that he was ready and willing to get into a physical fight.

“Then we’ll get you help,” Bruce said calmly.

“Get me help,” Dick echoed, voice dead and eyes slightly glazed over. His focused snapped back to Bruce. “You mean like how you help the Joker?”

Bruce sighed. He should have known Dick would pull something like this. “This is different, Dick. I can get you a private therapist or psychiatrist. Whatever you need. Everything can be under the radar and we never have to put you away like him.”

Dick closed his eyes, humming quietly. “Abuse of power, Mr. Wayne.”

Bruce gave a small smile before becoming serious agina. “I promise, Dick, I won’t be angry.”

“I don’t believe you,” Dick said quietly, hurting shining in his eyes. “You’ve made promises before, remember? When you took me in, you promised me you’d never leave me. Then you died and I had to become Batman. Do you know how hard that is? To take up a mantle you’re not even worthy of? Not to mention the fact that Tim walked out, Damien wanted to kill everyone and everything in sight,  _ and  _ I had to deal with Wayne Industries. You threw Batman on top of all that!”

Dick wasn’t yelling, but he was out of breath by the time he stopped speaking. The two watched each other quietly before Dick spoke in a soft voice.

“Maybe I am Red Wing. And I’m just scared to tell you.”

Bruce nodded. “Get your courage up. I’m going to take a shower.”

As he walked to the showers, he wondered. If Dick  _ was  _ Red Wing, had Bruce pushed him to it? Had the stress of everything Dick fought to keep together forced the older boy to finally say ‘goddamn it all, I’m done!”? Bruce didn’t know and wasn’t sure if he wanted to.

He heard the sound of the door opening and knew Dick had followed ihm. Wisely, he kept his back to his son although froze when he heard the strike of a match.

Turning off the water, he wrapped a towel around his waist and stepping out of the shower.

He met Dick’s eyes, the acrobat holding a flaming match in front of his face.

“You’re Red Wing,” Bruce said quietly, watching as the flame slowly got closer and closer to Dick’s fingers. Bruce watched - horrified - as the flame licked at his son’s skin and yet Dick did nothing.

“I am,” Dick said, nodding and crushing the match in his fist. He gave Bruce a dark smile. “And you have no proof.”

“I have your word.”

Dick shook his head, oozing confidence. “That won’t be enough for Damien. Or any of the others. They’ll want physical proof. Evidence. And you can interrogate me all you want, but it won’t work. I won’t break. And you know it, because you’re the one who trained me.”

“Arson is a felon,” Bruce growled, stepping forward and trying to intimidate Dick despite the fact that the younger boy was not at all phased. “Who are you working with?”

Dick only shrugged, giving Bruce a bright grin. “Good luck catching Red Wing.”

Damien walked in just as Bruce was about to say something. “Grayson, I was under the impression that you said I could witness your altercation with father.”

Bruce swore quietly. Damien hadn’t heard any of the confession. Of course he hadn’t, Dick wasn’t stupid.

Bipolar, maybe. But not stupid.

Because Dick and Red Wing were different. Whenever someone talked about Red Wing, Dick panicked.

_ What the hell is happening to my son?  _ Bruce thought to himself. When he looked up, Dick and Damien were gone.

 

 

“You look beyond pissed,” Tim noted when Bruce walked into the dining room that night. He completely ignored Tim, stalking over to Dick and slamming his fsit down on the table next to his eldest.

Instantly, Jason, Tim, and Damien were yelling at him. But Bruce was focused on the far too smug look on Dick’s face.

“What’s wrong?” Dick asked innocently. Bruce couldn’t control his anger this time and grabbed Dick by his shirt collar, hauling him up and slamming him into the wall.

“Bruce, what the hell!?” Jason screamed.

“Tell them,” Bruce snarled, shoving Dick violently. “Tell them what you told me.”

Dick looked scared but Bruce knew it was all an act. “Bruce, come on. I don’t know what you’re-”

“Tell them what you confessed!” Bruce screamed. 

“Father, let him go, he’s innocent!” Damien shouted although his voice wavered and he looked to Dick, confused. “You... _ are  _ innocent. Aren’t you, Grayson?”

“Bruce,” Dick said, his own voice shaking slightly. “I...the...what are you talking about? You’re scaring me.”

He was scaring him, Bruce suddenly realized, letting go of Dick and backing away. He’d let his anger cloud his judgement and he’d...he’d hurt his son. Not to mention the fact that he’d proved Dick right once again. Once Bruce thought he had the guilty, nothing could change his mind.

“Father, what is the meaning of this?” Damien demanded. “What confession are you speaking of?”

Bruce shook his head, glaring over at Dick. “You planned it. You confessed when you knew I had no cameras or wiretaps. When you  _ knew  _ I had no way of recording your reveal.”

Dick shook his head, anger written on his face. But Bruce saw the hint of smugness in his eyes and heard the undertone of gloating in his words.

“I should have just stayed in Bludhaven.”

No one said anything as Dick stormed out. But as soon as he was gone, Bruce left as well, swearing under his breath. Dick was smart. Bruce himself had trained him. Of  _ course  _ Dick would make sure there was no way Bruce could prove he had confessed.

“Damn it!” Bruce shouted as soon as he was in the cave. If he was swearing because his son was a criminal or because he was probably the reason Dick was, Bruce didn’t know.

With a tired sigh, Bruce walked with purpose over to the computer, intent on bringing Red Wing in once and for all.

Intent on getting his son back.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I've been trying to update everyday, but there's a chance updating is going too quickly.  
> So I may resort to updating every Friday, just so I can give myself time to write the next chapter!
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed!!! Please comment and let me know what you think!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Red Wing's partner comes into the light and the bat family learns just who Red Wing really is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bad summary. Sorry.

**Flashback:**

“You’re hurt,” Roy deadpanned, walking over to stand above fifteen year old Dick Grayson who was holding his arm to his chest. “Let me see.”

Dick shook his head. “It’s fine, it’s just a burn.”

Roy stared in horror. “Just a-Dickie, the skin is  _ black _ .”

Dick nodded numbly, fascination written on his face. “Fire is...do you ever using flaming arrows?”

Roy just stared at him before slowly shaking his head. “No. Fire does too much damage.”

Dick hummed in agreement before slowly standing. “I guess we should get this taken care of before Bruce sees.”

Roy snorted. “Uh. Yeah. He already hates me. I don’t need to give him another reason.”

Dick nodded and the two walked quietly into the bathroom together. After a few seconds, Roy spoke.

“You’re fascinated. You burned yourself and now you’re fascinated.”

“It hurt,” Dick said quietly. “but...I liked it.”

“What are you, a masochist?”

Dick shrugged. “Apparently. But Roy, watching that paper burn. It was...I don’t know.”

“Fascinating?” Roy supplied. 

“Yes. If I ever go rogue-”

“Go rogue?” Roy scoffed. “You mean turn against the big bad Bat?”

Dick rolled his eyes. “I’m considering it more than you think I am, Roy. But what I was saying was...if I ever turn against the Justice League...I might just choose fire as my primary weapon.”

Roy watched him for a long time before nodding. “Alright. Fine. It’s a deal. If you go rogue, I’ll join you.”

“You promise?” Dick asked. “No matter how stupid I might get. Even if I start to lose my mind? You’ll stay?”

Roy rolled his eyes. “Well yeah. One of us has to be the level headed one around here.”

  
  
  
  


“Please,” Roy begged, exasperation leaking into his tone. “Please stop bouncing.”

Dick only rolled his eyes and continued to - basically - bounce around the room. “Can’t help it, Roy,” he groaned, grabbing fistfuls of his own hair and tugging lightly. “I just...I confessed to Bruce.”

“Did you tell him I’ve been working with you?” Roy asked, taking one of his arrows and dipping the business end into the container of gasoline between his legs. He and Dick were currently in a warehouse in Star city - far, far away from Bruce and anyone who had heard of Red Wing.

Dick finally stopped bouncing and began pacing - which Roy thought was so much worse.

“No,” Dick admitted, still tearing at his hair. “Damn it, no! I just...why did I do that, Roy? Why did I tell him I’m Red Wing?”

“Maybe because you have dissociative identity disorder,” Roy answered with a shrug. “I mean, you got beat by Two-Face  _ and  _ Joker a few years back. And I know that fucked with your head. But anyway, you said you didn’t tell Bruce I worked with you?”

“No.”

Roy shrugged, analyzing his arrow before dropping the entire thing in gasoline. “Then it’s not my problem.”

Dick sighed, all signs of anxiety bleeding out of his body as he slumped to the floor, exhausted.

“Roy,” he whispered, pleading with his eyes. “Please. Make it stop.”

This was the part of Dick that Roy hated. He understood that his friend had DID. MPD. Dissociative identity disorder, or multiple personality disorder. However one wanted to describe it. What Roy hated was how Dick would jump from a mix of Richard Grayson and Red Wing to Dick Grayson. Or to Red Wing.

He knew it hurt his friend’s head, too. Knew the Dick Grayson side absolutely hated what he was doing but was also too weak to stop the Red Wing side from carrying on.

He needed medication and Roy had come close to telling Bruce that Dick was Red Wing on more than one occasion, if only to save Dick from the ruins that was his own mind.

But that also meant Roy would be revealing himself as working with Red Wing. so he kept his mouth shut, tried not to anger the arsonist, and tried his best to keep Dick Grayson sane while Red Wing waged war on all of Bludhaven.

Sometimes Roy regretted promising Dick - all those years ago - that he would stay by his side regardless.

“You need medicine, Dickie,” Roy said with a shrug. “You need to be admitted to-”

“Are you flaking on me, Arsenal?”

Roy bit back a sigh, looking up to find the body of Dick Grayson and mind of Red Wing standing over him.

“Nah,” Roy answered, reaching elbow deep into the gasoline to pull out the arrow he’d forgotten was soaking there. “Course not. I know you’re stronger than Dick. Flaking on you would be suicide and would result in a burnt corpse. Not pretty if you ask me.”

Red Wing - when he wasn’t in mask - prefered to be called Richard. He claimed that it helped him separate his personality from Dick’s. Because the more often the name ‘Dick’ was used, the more likely that personality was to responde.

And Roy had discovered that Red Wing very much prefered to be the one in control. Because when Dick was in control, he was out of Red Wing’s control. Unlike when Red Wing was in control and he could easily stop Dick from taking over.

Red Wing - or as he prefered to be called when not in mask,  _ Richard _ \- hummed quietly.

“Dick doesn’t like what I do, does he?”

Roy shook his head and Richard went on. “Does he remember like I do? The night I was born?”

Roy scoffed. “You mean does he remembering being brutally killed by Two-Face only for Deathstroke to bring him back to life? No, I think his mind is just a little too fucked up for that.”

Richard nodded, placing his hands on his hips and gazing around the warehouse. “Good. because sometimes he comes close to getting loose when we’re around the Wayne family and I don’t need him spilling anything.”

Roy sighed. Red Wing was in a mood. Meaning somewhere, somehow, someone was going to burn.

“So who are we burning tonight?”

A dark grin spread over Red Wing’s face and he turned on his heel in the direction of his room in the warehouse. Roy knew what that meant and went in the opposite direction in order to dress and prepare for the night.

  
  
  
  


“So we’re not burning anyone?” Roy asked, confused, as the two crouched on the top of the rooftop of Wayne Industries. “We’re just...waiting. For what?”

Even with the shadows on his face, Roy knew Red Wing was grinning. “Batman.”

“Batman,” Roy deadpanned. “I feel like this….you’re revealing me to Batman. Oh, you little fucker.”

Red Wing shook his head, lifting his wrist and pulling up his holo computer, revealing a map of Gotham. He pointed at a quickly moving red dot.

“You stay here,” he ordered, grinning from ear to ear. “I’m going to go introduce myself to Robin.”

Arsenal frowned, sitting up a little higher as Red Wing stood and prepared to launch himself off the roof.

“I thought you met him already.”

“Red Robin. Robin. Same name. Different person,” Red Wing answered, tapping his temple, a childlike grin on his face. “Dickie told me.”

“More like you hacked his mind,” Roy grumbled as he adjusted to sit cross legged.

“Same mind, Roy Harper. Different personalities,” Red Wing said in an ominous tone before letting himself free fall off the roof. Roy didn’t even move, well aware that the arsonist would never let himself die before he was well and truly ready.

And with some of the stunts he had been pulling as Red Wing - and forcing his other half to pull as Dick Grayson, Roy knew it was only a matter of time until Red Wing and Dick Grayson surrendered themselves to the flames. One willing to die and one without choice.

  
  
  
  


_ “If you find Red Wing, do not engage him in combat. Keep him distracted until-” _

“Until you can get there,” Robin said, huffy as ever. “I understand, Father. I am not incompetent.”

There was no response from Batman, although Robin didn't expected one. Shaking his head, he turned towards the Gotham skyline, picking up the soft sound of feet landing on the rooftop behind him.

“It’s about time, Drake,” he chastised, turning and freezing when he saw the newcomer.

“Not Drake,” Red Wing said with a shrug. He placed his hands on his knees and bent down to Robin’s level. “Hiya. Robin, right?”

Robin narrowed his eyes slightly, dropping into a defensive state. Red Wing was quick to hold his hands in a placating gesture.

“Easy,” he cooed. “I’m not here to fight. Just to talk.”

Robin didn’t believe him and let anger bleed into his tone. “Is that what you told Grayson before you burned him?”

Red Wing frowned, mouthing the name Grayson before laughing loudly. “Oh, the cop?” he tapped his temple, grinning. “Nah. He knows me well. I don’t have to tell him anything because he can read me like a book.”

“Are you a friend of his?”

“Friend, acquaintance, annoyance,” Red Wing recited with a shrug. “They’re all the same thing to him, aren’t they? But here’s my question. Why are  _ you  _ so interested with him?”

Robin tensed and Red Wing laughed loudly, clapping his hands together like a giddy child.

“I knew it,” he crooned, bouncing around on the balls of his feet and never once stopping his movements. “You’re his lover, aren’t you?”

Red Wing knew that was wrong, if only because he spent most of his spare time mentally torturing his other half and digging through Dick Grayson’s mind. He knew Robin was Damian Wayne was Dick Grayson’s brother. But just to piss him off, Red Wing decided to play coy.

Robin sputtered, face turning as red as his shirt. “No!”

_ Half a lie.  _ Red Wing thought to himself.  _ The kid has a crush on Grayson. Hasn’t done anything though. _

Red Wing stopped moving and tapped his lips thoughtfully. “Not lovers,” he repeated, eyes towards the sky, pretending his didn’t see the not to subtle way Robin contacted Batman and Red Hood. “But...something else. Not brothers, not by the way your face turned-”

Robin’s face turned an even brighter shade of red and he pulled out one of the weapons in his belt. Red Wing grinned.

“Oh,” he said quietly, making it obvious to Robin that he had just figured it all out. Or at least, trying to lead the boy into thinking he had. “I see. Brothers but...you have sexual fantasies about him.”

Robin didn’t get a chance to charge before a weapon was flying towards Red Wing who did a casual backbend out of the way, grinning over at Batman and Red Hood. On his right, he heard Red Robin land.

“Hello,” Red Wing said, smiling. “How is everyone tonight?”

“Surrender, Red Wing,” Batman said firmly. “We can make this easy or-”

“Nah,” Red Wing said dismissively, pulling something up on his wrist computer and tapping a few buttons before grinning at the heroes. “I’ve gotta go meet up with a friend...a uh...oh, what’s his name…”

Red Wing pretended to think while watching the vigilantes out of the corner of his eyes. He knew they were moving closer towards him, preparing to leap. And he knew  _ exactly  _ what to say to give them pause.

“Oh, yes, Officer Grayson. That’s who I have to go meet. Not a friend, per say. But...an informant.”

As predicted, Batman froze. Unfortunately, the Dick Grayson side of Red Wing stirred and so he pulled a lighter out of his belt, casually removing his left glove and letting the flame lick at his skin until Dick settled down.

Vaguely, the term ‘dissociative identity disorder’ flittered through Red Wing’s mind. Arsenal was right when he said that’s what Red Wing had. But Dick Grayson was on no medication and Red Wing was stronger.

“What’s the matter, Batman?” Red Wing asked, a grin like a child on christmas spreading across his face. “Do you have sexual fantasies about him too? Just like Robin over there?”

Dead silence across the rooftop. Red Wing pouted. “Aw. Was it something I said?”

“You’re insane.” Red Hood - Red Wing’s favorite - spoke for the first time that night.

Red Wing placed his hands on his hips, sending the anti-hero a cheeky grin. “I prefer the term...unstable. Like a fire.”

He turned his attention back to Batman. “You know...Dickie Grayson hasn’t been doing so... _ hot  _ lately. Poor kid. Did you know...nah. That’ll just ruin the fun, won’t it Brucie?” 

Batman went still at his name. “What’s the matter, Bats? I thought Dickie told you-”

A ripple of agony went through Red Wing’s stomach a moment before he collapsed to the ground. As his vision went black, one coherent thought stuck out.  _ Fucking hell. Goddamnit Grayson. _

  
  
  


Dick lay face down on the concrete, blinking sluggishly. He had never taken - or rather  _ ripped  _ \- control away from Red Wing before and his entire body ached.

He felt drained and exhausted and honestly didn’t feel like moving. But he knew he needed to get up. Needed to explain to Bruce what the hell was going on before Red Wing took control again.

With a quiet groan, he moved to get his hands under him but froze when Jason came to stand before him.

“Don’t move, Red Wing.”

Dick was good with not moving because everything hurt. Still, he needed to make sure they knew he had DID before Red Wing took control.

He needed help and he needed it now. Because Dick was utterly terrified of the person he had become.

Ignoring how tense he family was, Dick pushed himself upwards to sit with his knees folded under himself, eyes closed and head tilted back. At this point, he decided to stop because everything was screaming at him to just pass out.

“Not Red Wing,” he whispered even though he had no idea if anyone could hear him.

Silence. Then, “Dick?”

Dick peeled his eyes open, slowly moving his gaze towards Jason as he tried to fight down the rising nausea and vertigo.

“Grayson?” Damien pressed, moving slightly closer.

Dick closed his eyes, forcing himself to take a calming breath as he answered softly. 

“Yeah. But not for much longer.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I have not written chapter seven, but I'll try and post it as soon as possible.  
> In the meantime, please comment and let me know what your thoughts are!!!  
> Please.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> OMG! Could it be!? Another chapter after all this time?!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I honestly, can't even begin to apologize. I'll be honest, this story lost my interest for awhile, but then someone asked me if I would ever write another chapter and I promised them I would.
> 
> As I was writing this (as short as it may be) I started getting much more interested in it once again and more excited! So we'll see, my friends, there may be more to come soon.

_ PREVIOUSLY ON ARSONIST _

 

“Don’t move, Red Wing.”

Dick was good with not moving because everything hurt. Still, he needed to make sure they knew he had DID before Red Wing took control.

He needed help and he needed it now. Because Dick was utterly terrified of the person he had become.

Ignoring how tense he family was, Dick pushed himself upwards to sit with his knees folded under himself, eyes closed and head tilted back. At this point, he decided to stop because everything was screaming at him to just pass out.

“Not Red Wing,” he whispered even though he had no idea if anyone could hear him.

Silence. Then, “Dick?”

Dick peeled his eyes open, slowly moving his gaze towards Jason as he tried to fight down the rising nausea and vertigo.

“Grayson?” Damien pressed, moving slightly closer.

Dick closed his eyes, forcing himself to take a calming breath as he answered softly. 

“Yeah. But not for much longer.”

  
.......

 

Red Hood took a step forward, only to be stopped by Red Robin’s hand on his arm.

“What?” Hood snapped.

“What if that’s not Dick?” Red murmured.

“He just said he was.”

“What if it’s Red Wing?”

“Jay,” Dick whispered, groaning quietly. “Knock me out. Please. I can’t control him.”

“Who?” Batman demanded.

“Red Wing,” Dick groaned. “Please, Jason. Please.”

“Dick, I don’t under-”

Hood just barely moved to the side in time to avoid the knife that Dick threw in his direction. But when the acrobat stood, the gleam in his eyes told Hood that he wasn’t looking at Dick.

“Dickie tried to warn you,” Red Wing mocked. “He really can’t control me.”

“You and Dick are the same person,” Red said quietly while they all readied themselves for an attack.

“Well of course,” Red Wing replied as though it were obvious. “I came about after pretty little Dickie was killed. Or maybe it was around the time he developed his fascination with fire. I’m not too sure.”

“What do you mean, Grayson was killed?” Robin demanded, pulling out his katana.

“That’s something for us to know,” Red Wing said with a smile. “And you to never find-”

Red Wing was cut off with a scream, bullet ripping through his thigh.

“Let Dick take control,” Hood snarled, gun held out. “Now!”

Red Wing shook his head, laughing loudly despite the agony he must be feeling. “Do you really think I’m afraid of you?!” he shouted, staring up at Hood. “You won’t kill me. You won’t risk losing your precious golden child.”

“Batman won’t,” Hood said calmly, re aiming his gun at Red Wing’s forehead. “But I will. Tell us who the fuck you are. Now.”

“Where’s my Roy-Toy?” Red Wing asked suddenly. “I’m pretty sure I invited him out here with me tonight. I could certainly use the backup right about now.”

“Your what?” Red asked, seconds before a flaming arrow ripped through the sky, scraping Hood’s jacket and lighting it on fire.

“Fuck!” he shouted, rushing to pull the leather jacket off. “Shit!”

“Sounds like my que, Roy-Boy!” Red Wing shouted as the red clad archer swung in.

“Arsenal?” Hood demanded, staring at his old friend now that he’d finally removed the jacket.

“Correction,” Red Wing chirped as the archer lifted him up. “ _ Arsonist.” _

  
.........

 

“You’re an idiot,” Roy hissed as he set about bandaging the bullet wound in Red Wing’s -  Richard’s - thigh.

“Am I?” Richard asked from where he was casually draped on the sofa. “I’m not the one who shot me.”

“What were you thinking?” Roy demanded. “What could you possibly have wanted or possibly have gotten out of that encounter?”

“Simple,” Richard replied, tapping his temple. “I got Dickie to settle down.”

Roy frowned. “I don’t understand.”

“He’s been agitated, my good friend,” Richard answered. “He’s restless.”

“He wants to be back in control.”

“No, he wants to take control from me,” Richard snarled. “He wants to take control that rightfully belongs to me!”

“Rightfully belongs to-” Roy cut him off, standing. By this point, he had had enough. He had stayed to protect Dick but there was only so much he could do. The fact that Richard dared to let himself get shot- “That body rightfully belongs to Dick. You never showed up until after Two-Face beat him to death.”

“I was a gift,” Richard hissed, leaning forward but knowing better than to try and stand. “From Al Ghul. An insurance that Dick would not reveal to Bruce that Thalia had put another one of his sons through the Pit.”

“She insured Dick wouldn’t say anything,” Roy pointed out calmly. “But she can do nothing to stop me.”

Richard paled. “What?” he asked quietly. “What are you talking about?”

“I’m going to tell Bruce,” Roy declared, backing away. Richard was unstable, he knew that. But there was nothing Richard could do here. He was injured. Without Roy, he couldn’t move. Which meant he couldn’t light anything on fire unless he wanted to burn along with it.

As much as Richard had always dreamed of killing Dick, he would never do anything to destroy his own life.

“You won’t.”

“I will,” Roy said, lifting his chin. “And you can’t stop me.”

Richard’s screams of rage followed him for miles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed. Again, I really am sorry both for the length of the chapter and how long it's taken me to update.
> 
> With that said I have a quick question.
> 
> I am thinking of changing the title of the story.
> 
> Currently titled "Arsonist" I am thinking of renaming it to one of the following
> 
> Dick Grayson: Taken By The Arsonist
> 
> Or 
> 
> Dick Grayson: Taken By Red Wing
> 
> Let me know if you like one of those options or if it should stay as is.
> 
> The reason I'm asking is cause I'm beginning to plan a new series titled "Taken"
> 
> Thanks and let me know thoughts!!!
> 
> Again, I'm so sorry it's been son long


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roy tricks Richard

The Next Morning

“Before you kick me out,” Roy said as soon as he entered the library where Bruce and the others sat. “I have information on Red Wing. On how to take him down. He won’t be too hard now. He can’t move.”

“So what’s to stop him from killing himself?”

“He likes life too much,” Roy replied. “As much as he hates Dick, he’d never risk dying himself.”

“I thought he and Dick were the same person?” Tim asked.

Roy shook his head. “No. Red Wing, or  _ Richard _ as he prefers, is a personality. Dick has Dissociative Identity Disorder. Or...something of the sort.”

“Did Grayson die?” Damian asked.

Roy sighed. “From what Red Wing has told me, yes. He was more open about it last night.”

“He didn't die,” jason corrected slowly. “He was killed, right? That’s what Red Wing said.”

“Yeah,” Roy confirmed. “He was beaten to death by Two-Face.”

“But he’s alive,” Tim deadpanned.

“So is Jason,” Roy pointed out. “Resurrection seems to be common in this family.”

“Dick would have told us,” Bruce said confidently. “He would have told us Thalia brought him back to life.”

“That’s where Red Wing comes from,” Roy explained. “He was already a sort of...person, personality, in Dick’s head before. Not alive, not in the way he is now. Just...a sort of mindset. But when the Lazarus Pit brought Dick back to life, it brought Red Wing to life as well.”

“As a failsafe,” Tim murmured. “A way to ensure Dick couldn’t tell us about the Pit.”

“But he didn’t tell us about Red Wing either.”

“Red Wing was in control more than you thought he was,” Roy said softly. “He knows how to act like Dick. How to walk and talk like him. You have no idea how many times you were talking to Red Wing. Not Dick.”

“So what now?”

“I know where he is,” Roy answered. “I can tell you. You can get him. Get him on medication,  _ something _ . He hurts Dick to control him. To make sure he’s the only one in control. He’s killing him.”

“I’ll go,” Jason suggested, standing. “I might need a tranquilizer though.”

“What I would suggest is finding a way to keep Dick in control,” Roy offered. “At least long enough to get him admitted to-”

“A psych ward?” Damian asked. “No, absolutely not.”

“As much as Red Wing loves life,” Roy said calmly. “The minute you catch him, he will not stop trying to kill himself. To kill Dick.”

“Why?”

“Because Thalia promised him life,” Roy answered. “Always.”

  
........

 

Richard knew it was only a matter of time until Roy returned with Dick Grayson’s fucking family in tow. But with a bullet wound to his thigh, there wasn’t much he could do. He’d at least managed to slip into a t-shirt and sweatpants when he heard the sound of breaking glass in the kitchen.

Grabbing a knife he kept under the pillow of the safehouse, he carefully limped towards the locked door of the bedroom, ready to attack whoever was on the other side.

“Richard?” Roy called. “It’s me. I know you’re there. Can we talk?”

“Are you alone?” Richard demanded.

“Yes.”

“But you were going to speak with Bruce Wayne,” Richard reminded him. “How do I know I can trust you?”

Roy sighed, glancing at the syringe in his hand. All he needed was to get close enough to inject the entirety of the tranq into Red Wing.

“Because all we have is each other,” Roy answered. “You have to trust me. Otherwise, you’re just alone.”

“You’d better be telling the truth,” Richard grumbled, unlocking the door. 

Roy was not telling the truth, as Richard found out when he opened the door and a needle was plunged into his neck. He screamed, attempting to claw Roy away while not putting too much weight on his injury, but all too soon he was sinking, unconscious, into Roy’s hold.

“Sorry buddy,” Roy muttered, carefully lifting his friend into his arms. “But for your own sake, you’d better let Dick in control when you come to. Otherwise, we’re gonna have a load of problems.”

  
.......

 

Dick woke to agony racing through his spine and utter confusion clouding his mind. He had no idea where he was or hell, when he was. His eyes wouldn’t open and his mouth tasted like dirt.

“Grayson?”

He groaned quietly, eyes fluttering beneath his lids before he slowly managed to open his eyes and look over to find Damian sitting nearby.

“Damian?” he asked, voice hoarse. “What happened?”

“What do you remember?”

“I don’t know.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know your thoughts in the comments and thanks for reading!


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bruce tries to find out just what Dick remembers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am actually kinda starting to enjoy writing this once more!!!
> 
> I hope y'all are enjoying the chapters!!!
> 
> No Red Wing in this chapter, but no worries. He'll be back.

“How can you not know what you remember?” Damian demanded.

Dick shook his head. “I...everything’s fuzzy. Blurry.”

“How?” 

Dick gave a lethargic shrug. “Gray.”

Damian huffed. “Grayson, that doesn’t help in the slightest.”

“I remember pain,” Dick said quietly. “Burning. Beating. Blood.”

“But you remember nothing else?”

Dick shook his head again. “Just pain. And...green.”

“You’re awake.”

Dick and Damian turned to find Jason striding up. “Hi,” Dick said quietly.

“How are you feeling?” Jason asked as he took a seat on Dick’s other side, ignoring the glare Damian sent him.

“Tired,” Dick admitted. “My limbs feel heavy.”

Jason nodded, tapping the IV line Dick hadn’t even noticed. “Yeah. sorry. We’ve got you on some pretty strong sedatives. They leave you conscious, but unable to really do much.”

“Why?”

“What’s the last thing you remember?”

Dick let out a loud groan. “I don’t know, okay?” he asked, looking over. “I don’t...I told Damian. Blood and being beaten and green and-”

“Was the green watery?” Jason asked. “Warm?”

“Yeah,” Dick mumbled. “Why?”

Jason merely shook his head instead of replying. “Nothing. It’s nothing.”

“It’s something,” Dick said. “You knew exactly what I was talking about. Jason, what’s going on?”

“Dick.”

“B, please tell me what’s going on,” Dick begged. “I don’t-”

“How old are you?”

Dikc blinked. “W-what?”

“How old are you?” Bruce asked again. “You’re experiencing memory loss, Dick, I want to know how much you’ve forgotten. How old are you?”

Dick swallowed thickly. “Do you think I’ve lost a few years?”

“I think that’s a high possibility,” Bruce replied. His expression was softer than Dick had ever seen it.”

“What’s the point though?” Dick mumbled. “If I  _ have  _ lost a few years-”

“How old are you, Dick?” Bruce asked, his tone so gentle that Dick found himself  _ wanting  _ to answer, if only to make that sound last a little longer.

“Eighteen,” Dick answered quietly. “But I know that’s wrong.”

“How do you know?” Jason asked.

“You’re here,” Dick said quietly. “And you all carefully didn’t react when I answered. And the fact that you keep asking-”

“Damian, Jason,” Bruce said calmly. “Please leave. I need to talk to Dick alone.”

“B-

“Father-”

“Now,” Bruce said, his tone leaving no room for discussion. Jason and Damian glared before slowly getting to their feet. Dick looked over when Jason placed a hand on his shoulder.

“It’ll be fine,” he assured him. “Everything is going to be okay.”

Dick swallowed thickly, nodding. He said nothing because if Bruce was so desperate to talk, he could talk first.

_ We had a bad relationship if I remember right.  _ Dick thought to himself.  _ But it’s been years. Things might have changed. Or gotten worse, or- _

“Do you want to know how old you are?”

“Is it a lot?” Dick asked.

“Twenty-three,” Bruce replied. “Do you remember being a police officer in Bludhaven?”

“I remember fighting,” Dick answered. “I remember moving to Bludhaven to become Nightwing but I-I don’t…”

“Take it easy,” Bruce murmured when Dick groaned. “Walk me through your memory, as far as you can go. As close to the present as you can go.”

“We were at odds all the time,” Dick whispered. “You hated me in your city but you needed help because Two-Face took Damian.”

“Go on.”

“You won’t tell me if I’m right?”

“The last several weeks have been interesting,” Bruce replied. “I need to make sure I’m talking to who I think I am before I confirm anything.”

“Bruce-”

“If I am not talking to Dick Grayson,” Bruce said slowly. “If the Other is talking-”

“Other?”

“-then he will shape and twist the story to what he thinks I want to hear,” Bruce concluded slowly. “So please, just tell me what you remember.”

Dick pressed his lips together, nodding slowly. Bruce hardly ever asked him to do anything. It was always an order. He took a deep breath before pressing on.

“I came into Gotham and it was tense,” Dick replied, leaning his head back as a wave of exhaustion overtook him. “I hadn’t been sleeping well and I’d try to tell you no, tried to stand my ground. I only came because of Damian.”

Bruce nodded. “If you need a break-”

“It was a trap,” Dick said softly. “Not for you. For me. Two-Face knew Nightwing was the first Robin and he wanted revenge for failing to kill me when I was a kid. He thrust Damian at you and took me.”

“And what happened?”

Dick paled. “I think…” he closed his eyes as nausea welled up inside him. “I think he killed me.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's chapter 9!!
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed!!
> 
> Please let me know your thoughts!!!


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dick and Bruce talk and Bruce makes an executive decision. The Batfamily begin to wonder if Thalia Al Ghul was more involved with bringing Dick back to life than they originally thought

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay, all. 
> 
> Been writing the script for my funko pop stop motion season two series on youtube and then I've been working on requests for my original work here, not to mention How To Parent, so this accidentally got pushed to the sidelines.
> 
> But here's chapter ten so I hope you enjoy!1

Bruce said nothing to confirm or deny but that was a confirmation all on its own. Dick took a shuddering breath, eyes wide.

“Did he kill me?” he asked, limbs beginning to shake despite the sedative/muscle relaxer Jason said he’d been given.

“Does the name Red Wing ring a bell?”

“Bruce, what’s going on?” Dick demanded.

Bruce sighed. “I need to talk to him.”

“What?”

“We spoke with you on the rooftop the other night,” Bruce said calmly. “Damian, Tim, Jason, and I. You told us you had dissociative identity disorder. Do you remember that?”

“No.”

Bruce gave a short nod. “May I speak with him, Dick?”

“With who?” Dick asked. “I’m the only person inside my head, Bruce, who are you talking about?!”

“Red Wing, Dick,” Bruce said softly. “Let me speak with Red Wing.”

Dick stared at him before his face morphed into an expression of smugness. “How do you know you haven’t been speaking to him all this time?”

  
......

 

“So what’s the plan?” Jason asked. “You talked to Red Wing, right?”

“Yes.”

“So I ask again,” Jason said calmly. “What’s the plan?”

“Dick needs...help,” Bruce replied. “Medication of some sort.”

“He needs professional help,” Tim clarified. “What are you thinking? An Asylum?”

“Please not Arkham,” Jason begged. “Don’t fuck him up more.”

“Arkham isn’t the only mental asylum in Gotham,” Bruce explained. “I’m not sending him there. I have contacts who worked in Riverwall, just outside of Gotham. They’re willing to take him.”

“When?”

“Tomorrow at seven a.m.,” Bruce replied. 

“Did you tell Dick?”

“I was unsure of whom I was speaking to by the end,” Bruce replied. “So no, I didn’t say anything.”

“So what have we learned?” Jason asked.

“He’s got three personalities,” Bruce explained, taking a seat. “There’s Red Wing who started to manifest as an idea or mindset when Dick was fifteen and started-”

“Literally playing with fire,” Tim concluded.

“Correct. And then Red Wing became a solid identity or personality after Dick…”

“Died,” Jason murmured. “Right. You said there were three.”

“I didn’t get a name for the third,” Bruce replied. “Dick, obviously, counts as one, though Red Wing more often referred to him as the host. Then there’s the nameless third one-”

“Who’s apparently exactly like Dick,” Tim concluded. “But not, because Dick wasn’t the one in control the past few years.”

“Do you think the asylum will truly be able to help Grayson?” Damian asked.

“They said it might take awhile,” Bruce replied. “They have to get him on the right medication as well as find out how violent his other personalities are. They said that until they get him on a medication and get him taking it on a regular basis, he can’t have any visitors.”

“How long would that take?” Tim asked.

“They said anywhere from six months to a year and a half,” Bruce replied.

“Does Dick know?” Jason asked suddenly. “That Red Wing has killed people?”

“I don’t think he does,” Bruce replied. “And for his sake, I think it’s best we keep it that way.”

“You don’t think Grayson as a right to know?”

“No, Bruce has a point,” Tim said calmly. “Do you know how badly that might affect Dick if he knew? It’s best to keep him in the dark. At least for now.”

“We don’t even know if he knows Red Wing exists,” Bruce pointed out. “He told me he was the only person in his head.”

“Does he even know he died?”

“Seems like it,” Jason replied. “He sort of remembered that Lazarus Pit. But not enough to remember what it was.”

“Makes me wonder,” Tim mumbled. “Just how involved was Thalia with Dick’s ressurrection?”

No one had an answer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed!!!
> 
>  
> 
> Please let me know your thoughts below!!

**Author's Note:**

> please let me know what you think!  
> Comment!  
> leave kudos!  
> Whatever!!!!


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